In the modern age, rappers have become some of the most popular celebrities. Pre-teens and teenagers alike look up to rappers, though not all of them are good examples. Hip-hop artists such as Kodak Black, Xxxtentacion and Chris Brown, have or have had major domestic abuse cases thrown against them and yet they still have rabid fans that support them through their cases. No one who commits domestic or sexual abuse deserves the money and attention, no matter what their social status is.
News broke of details surrounding Xxxtentacion’s, also known as Jahseh Onfroy, domestic abuse case filed by his ex-girlfriend, Geneva Ayala. The details from her testimony include torture, keeping her as a hostage and assault on her while she was pregnant. The claims cannot be proven as of now, as the court date is not until October. Onfroy does have violent tendencies which makes this case believable. He has posted videos of him assaulting a man who complained about Onfroy stealing from him and bragged about beating up homosexual men in prison in an interview with the No Jumper podcast.
The reaction from fans ranged from disgust towards Onfroy to fans stating that if Ayala’s claims were true that she deserved the abuse. What is wrong with, not only hip-hop, but entertainment in general is that fans idolize these celebrities and support them no matter how detrimental their flaws are. Individuals with these platforms should not be supported if they have any major domestic abuse cases against them. It gives them more money and fame, but without teaching them a lesson.
A good example of this is Chris Brown. In 2009, Brown severely beat then girlfriend Rihanna, which led to him pleading guilty to one count of felony assault. This did not lead to a decline in Brown’s career as his albums still sold well and he was still in the media spotlight. In turn, he has not learned from his behavior since he has had numerous problems with the law since including assaults on Drake and Frank Ocean, stalking and possession of a deadly weapon. Nothing has made him a better person because he still has fans that support him and will claim that he is not to blame for any of his incidents.
Fans of artists and entertainers are the key to these people’s career. Without fans they are nothing. Celebrities like Onfroy and Brown do not deserve to have fan support, money or fame but yet because of ignorant fans they will continue to have these things. Hardcore fans either only care about the music aspect of their favorite artist’s lives or they will deny any allegations and continue to support these artists no matter how despicable these people are.